It is unbelievable to imagine that two months have flown by and we are already back in action!

I hope everyone had a relaxing break and is ready to kick off a great start to the 2010-2011 school year. This summer gave me time to replenish my artistic energies after I had the wild experience of hiking 950 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail in California. I feel that a change of scenery has always been a great catalyst for me to come up with new ideas for not only my own art, but also exciting new lessons that I plan on incorporating into the art program at OWS. After living in the wilderness for 50 days, I decided that "Let your art be Wild!" would be an appropriate theme for this year's classes. Beyond teaching art history and different techniques, my goal in the art program is to teach our students how to exress the unique, individual artist inside of them. By creating a supportive community in our classroom, I hope that every student will feel comfortable to flow with endless creativity this year and unleash their wild side!

Also, have you noticed the new sculptures on campus? Just over 3 years ago, I met with 13 OWS alumni to design a permanent art project for our campus. After creating a general concept for the scultptures, the students established themes for each of the three clusters: Birds, Woodland Creatures and Fish. Each student then drew out their plans for the sculptures, creating a wonderful series of designs inspired by local Pacific Northwest wildlife. After choosing the size, colors and locations for each piece, we installed the beautiful permanent art project this summer. I salute all of the hard working individuals who made this great project possible!